Kasson Morman, 15, of Newark, was killed on Christmas night in a triple shooting that also claimed the life of a 13 year old girl, Zainee Hailey. This is his 8th grade graduation photo from Bragaw Avenue SchoolCourtesy of Jalil McArthur

NEWARK — Kasson Morman cooked breakfast for his family on Christmas morning, stirring eggs and baking biscuits while holiday songs echoed through the kitchen, relatives said.

The 15-year-old prepared a feast for his mother, grandmother, siblings, aunts and uncles, family members said. It was an idyllic morning as everyone prepared to spend the day unwrapping gifts, sharing laughs and making memories.

Twelve hours later, the family gathered again, this time in a hospital emergency room.

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After dinner, Kasson went out to visit his friend, Abdul "Scooter" Frazier on Schley Street. Both youths were shot outside Frazier's house, authorities said, along with a 13-year-old girl, Zainee Hailey, who was struck by a bullet and killed while taking out the garbage.

An ebullient day gave way to a night of anguish for the Morman family. Kasson died at University Hospital.

"He was a nice kid," said Morman's brother, Shaquan Reeds, 19. "He wasn't into the street life. He was a fun guy who liked to make jokes and loved to dance. He spent the day with us and then he said he was going to hang out with his friends. It seemed like he had just left when I got the call that my brother had been shot. I don't know what happened. I don't know what's going on."

Morman's relatives said Kasson, a student at Central High School, played baseball and aspired to become a professional hip-hop dancer.

"He had so much talent from such a young age," his uncle, Jalil McArthur, said. "He was a vibrant kid. When the beat came on, he was the one to move. I thought he was going to grow up to be famous. He was grounded in dance. He was known in the community for his dancing."

Kasson's father, Richard Morman said his son developed "The Boyden Dance," a series of sassy moves named for the Seth Boyden housing project in Newark, where the family once lived.

Kasson Morman, 15, of Newark, was killed on Christmas night in a triple shooting.Courtesy of Jalil McArthur

"He made his own little dance up," Richard Morman said. "All the little kids did that dance."

Richard Morman said he believes his son was the victim of a random act of violence.

"He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," the father said. "He wasn't a troublemaker. He wasn't in gangs, anything like that."

No arrests have been made. Kasson's friend, Frazier, 14, was critically wounded. A spokeswoman from University Hospital could not comment on Frazier's condition because of privacy laws concerning minors.

Neighbors said they saw three men, one armed, approaching the Frazier home before the shooting.

The Essex County Sheriff's Officers Crimestoppers program is offering separate $10,000 rewards for information about the shooting in Newark and another incident in Irvington on Christmas morning that left three men dead outside a go-go bar.